Palo Alto and Mountain View's TheatreWorks' New Works Festival an online-only event

“They are an unlikely couple, as one is a very astute and erudite UC Berkeley professor, and the other is a wheeler and dealer in the business world who grew up in Palo Alto, and they are both from different worlds,” said “As Soon As Impossible” playwright Betty Shamieh.

The play centers on two men’s annual summer fishing trip in the Bay Area. When their grandchildren visit, cultural misperceptions, combined with blunders and surprises, lead to Arthur suspecting a surprise party for him is a terrorist attack.

Shamieh is an Arab American playwright from San Carlos who wrote “As Soon As Impossible.” She grew up in Daly City and San Carlos and recently returned to the Bay Area after more than a decade in New York City working in theater. While the play is not based on her life, it is influenced by different worldviews she saw growing up in the Bay Area. She was exposed to many different cultures from a young age and wants to talk about culture, class and education in California society, such as San Carlos turning from a sleepy little town as a teen to become more affluent with a core downtown.

Shamieh said the comedy touches on various cultures and themes throughout the Bay Area and from two different cultural perspectives. While the story explores Arab American issues, it is as much a story about the dynamics between grandparents and grandchildren, being born in the wrong family and LGBT culture.

“It’s really important to me that the plays resonate whether you know anything about Arab culture or gay culture or whether you particularly care about that,” she said.

“As Soon As Impossible” was originally commissioned in 2009 in New York and developed with the support of the Time Warner Commissioning Program. The play is being directed by Samer Al-Saber, an assistant professor of theater and performance studies at Stanford University. The May 1 play will also be produced on the Stanford campus. Shamieh graduated from Harvard College and the Yale School of Drama and is a Mellon Foundation playwright-in-residence at the Classical Theatre of Harlem and a 2021 Denning Visiting Artist at Stanford University. Her productions include “The Black Eyed,” “Territories,” “Fit for a Queen” and “Roar.”

Although first produced more than a decade ago, she regularly updates the script for issues on what it means to be Arab American to outdated pop culture references. She works with younger people to gain feedback, including information on changes in language and social norms.

While the play is online, Shamieh is excited the comedy is coming through even virtually, which she was concerned about when it started. She said working from home allowed some actors to participate in the play. The virtual aspect has also made it accessible to all, which wouldn’t be possible normally. Although many people spend lots of time on screens throughout the day, she believes theater is still an important part of sharing live experiences, something New Works Festival Online and TheatreWorks brings.

“Art humanizes us. It makes us a more interesting society,” Shamieh said.

The other productions include two musicals called “Currency” and “Lizard Boy,” both debuting April 24, while the other two theater productions are “A Distinct Society,” May 8, and “pas de deux,” May 15. People can buy tickets at a pay-what-you-can price, with a $10 minimum for a festival pass. People can go to theatreworks.org for more information.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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